(1) ZHONG 忠 (Loyalty)
(2) SHU 恕 (Altruism) (3) LIAN 廉 (Integrity) (4) MING 明 (Straightforwardness) (5) DER 德 (Magnanimity) (6) ZHENG 正 (Uprightness) (7) YI 義 (Righteousness) (8) XIN 信 (Trustworthiness) (9) YEN 忍 (Forbearance) (10) GONG 公 (Impartiality)		(20) HER 和 (Harmony) (19) LI 禮 (Propriety) (18) ZHEN 真 (Genuineness) (17) JIAN 儉 (Frugality) (16) JIE 節 (Temperance) (15) JUE 覺 (Comprehension) (14) CI 慈 (Mercifulness) (13) REN 仁 (Benevolence) (12) XIAO 孝 (Filial Piety)
(11) BO 博 (Universal Brotherhood)

    What does the character Zhong mean? It means the faithful performance of one's duty. For instance, if I were asked to do a certain thing for someone and I had promised to do it for him, then it would be my duty to try my very best to see to it that this certain thing be properly done, no matter what it was and how difficult it would be; and once I had tried my best, it could be said that I had done my duty, though I might fail in my attempt.
    When we are enjoying a play in the theatre, and we see such historical characters as Guan Yu (關羽) and Yue Fei (岳飛), we cannot help calling them Zhong. This is because both of them had laid down their lives in performing their duties. In short, Zhong is the faithful fulfillment of one's duty which does not necessarily imply one's duty only to the country or to the king.
    Let's take a look at how the character Zhong (忠) is built. The top sub-character means center (中), the bottom has a meaning of heart (心). When the heart is placed in the center, that is when it can be said a person is Zhong (忠). Thereby, Zhong means 'To do your utmost to keep your heart unbiased' upon making a decision.

    The character Shu is made up of two other characters; one meaning likeness (如), the other, heart (心). This implies that all human hearts are alike. Things that are liked or disliked by your hearts must also be liked or disliked by the hearts of others. So, if you only care for what you like or dislike and never take into consideration the feeling of others, then it is against the rule of Shu, which means altruism. The golden rule of Shu or altruism is that if there were any good opportunity of which you would like to avail yourself, do not be greedy and grapple all for yourself, but share it with others; and if there were any danger which you wish to avoid, do not beguile others into it, but try to help and warn them out of it.

    We have often heard the slogan "Down with all corrupt officials". Now, what are corrupt officials, and why should they be downed? A thorough understanding of the meaning of the character Lian will explain everything. The character Lian means the non-acceptance of bribery or other forms of venality, and corrupt officials are officials who are covetous of gain and who accept bribery. So, corrupt officials are persons acting against Lian and those who act against the rule of Lian are only fit to be downed by the people. However, not only officials should act according to Lian but people of all walks of life also, should be likewise. If I were hired at 50 cents a day, then 50 cents should be the maximum amount I could take without violating the rule of Lian. Anything beyond 50 cents would be deemed to be ill-gotten gains.

    Ming means Brightness or Light. That is to say, we must do everything openly and in the light. We must see to it that everything we do can be told to the public, to our conscience and to God without the slightest inward qualm. This is what we call Ming. Now let us quote two old sayings: "Let there be nothing done by us that cannot be told to others" and "Do no wrong and you will not be frightened at the mere sound of door knocking at midnight". Such is the benefit derived from practicing Ming. However, there are persons who are fond of doing immoral things in the dark and behind others' back. Such persons are constantly in fear of their wicked deeds being detected and made open to the public; and when such time comes, they will either be overcome with shame and commit suicide or turn desperate and act against the law. Only people who practice Ming can live in tranquility and peace.

    Der is an act of benevolence done to others. Hence we say that the continual doing acts of benevolence is the accumulation of Der. If a person has done us an act of benevolence, we will say that he has Der over us.
    Persons who are physically and mentally disabled cannot earn their own living but must depend upon charity or acts of benevolence, without which they will die of hunger. To stand by and let such people die without doing acts of benevolence to save them is against the wish of God who is magnanimous, merciful and always ready to help. On the other hand, to save such people from dying of starvation is precisely the wish of God. Blessed are those who act according to the wish of God.

    That which is not unbalanced and not one-sided is Zheng. All things that are Zheng must be good. A table that is not Zheng is not fit to put things on. A chair that is not Zheng is not fit to sit on. A bed that is not Zheng is not fit to sleep on. And a road that is not Zheng is not fit to walk on. Thus everything that is not Zheng is of no or little use. Now, the human mind, the origin of all things, must also be Zheng before it can render good services to the world. Only an upright or Zheng mind is capable of performing an upright or Zheng deed. Society admires only upright persons and approves only upright deeds.
    Therefore if we wish to earn the admiration of society, we must try to be upright persons and do upright things. However, we must first of all see to it that our minds are Zheng or upright.

    To uphold righteousness is Yi. In as much as all men are created equal, it is neither right nor fair for those who are better off than others to bully others. However, the world is full of such unfairness. The weak and the poor are constantly subjected to the oppression of the strong and the rich.
    To see to it that such unfairness be stopped is what we call Yi. Thus a man who voluntarily offers to fight for another to uphold righteousness is called a gentlemen of Yi and an expedition that is aimed at relieving people's sufferings is called an army of Yi.

    The meaning of the character Xin is apparent to everybody. All know the necessity of being truthful and trustworthy and the futility of lying and deceiving. Yet men go on lying and deceiving just the same. How is that? It is because most people are foolish enough to think that by lying and deceiving they can attain their selfish ends. They forget that no lying and deceiving acts can long remain undiscovered, and that once they are discovered, they will lose the confidence of the whole community. Men who have lost the confidence of the whole community are bound to be failures in everything. This proves how foolish and futile it is to lie and deceive. Hence trustworthiness is the best policy.

    The character Yen has two diametrically different meanings. One tells the beautiful side of human nature which is forbearance and fortitude; the other, the ugly side of it which is cruelty and hardness of heart. What causes this dual meaning? This is because the character Yen is made up of two characters, one meaning sword (刀) and the other heart (心), with the former on the top of the latter. This signifies the suppression of the heart's impulses by the sword. As one's impulses can be either good or bad, so the suppression can produce either good or bad effect. For instance, if a good impulse were suppressed, the effect produced would be bound to be bad and vice versa. We are concerned here only with the good effect produced; that is, forbearance and fortitude. It is hoped that whenever we come across the character Yen, we will use our best efforts to bring to the fore the beautiful side of our heart i.e. forbearance and fortitude and suppress its ugly side which is cruelty and hard-heartedness.

    Selfishness is the root of all evil and the cause of all the world's chaos. Government officials practice corruption and accept bribes because they desire to enrich themselves. Generals rebel against their government and stir up internal strife because of their lust for power. Rulers become despots because they yield to their lust for pleasure. And nations resort to aggressive violence because they want to enlarge their territories at the expense of other countries. All these and hundreds of other evils are the natural outcome of selfishness. The opposite of selfishness is Gong, which is a champion for public welfare. There are two ways to achieve Gong, i.e., passive and active. To do nothing that is detrimental to the welfare of the public is the passive way of attaining Gong, and to devote one's time wholly to the promotion of public welfare is the active way to gain Gong. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen said: "If you are gifted with the wisdom of a hundred persons, you must promote the welfare of a hundred persons. If you are blessed with the wisdom of a thousand persons, you must promote the welfare of a thousand persons, and so on". This is an example of the noblest spirit of active Gong. If we are unable to adopt the active way of Gong, we must at least take the passive way.

    Bo means bigness. That is to say, no matter what we do, we must always aim big. Take, for instance, the matter of the acquirement of knowledge. We must see to it that we are wise enough to have a perfect understanding of the universe and the truth about life, and that we possess a wisdom as great as that of Buddha. With regard to our magnanimity, we must see to it that it is equal to that of any big man the world has produced. Ordinary people, because of their limited knowledge, always aim small. For that reason they love only their parents, brothers and sisters, wives and children. Others they treat indifferently. This is contrary to the spirit of Bo. Jesus, Confucius and Buddha did not limit their affection to their own kindreds. The first talked about universal love, the second about kindness to the people and to the other creatures, and the last about mercy to all. They won the admiration and respect of the masses and left behind an immortal example to all posterity because they always aimed big. So, if we hope to become sages, we must also pay attention to Bo.

    It is but right that filial piety should be practiced. Everyone understands well what filial piety means. But for the sake of those materialists who are too selfish to understand it, let us explain it more fully here. Filial piety is the foundation of all virtues. A man who does not practice filial piety does not also live up according to other virtues. How can we expect a man to repay for the kindness his benefactor has done to him when he maltreats his parents who are his greatest benefactors? How can we expect a man, who does not love his own parents, to love his fellow-men who are mere strangers to him? Therefore, in order to be true to other virtues, one has first to be true to filial piety. According to Confucius's Book on Filial Piety, and the History of the Twenty Four Filial Sons, filial piety is but obedience to one's parents. That is why we always connect the word obedience with the word filial piety.

    Ren is most difficult to explain. According to the explanations given by various scholars, it has various meanings. The most plausible one is as follows: The sub-characters that from the character Ren literally mean Two (二) and Persons (人). As seen through the eyes of an individual, the world is represented by two persons; one being one's self and the other, the rest of the world. In this sense, any man, no matter how wicked he is, can at least love one person, that is himself. Now, if a man can love the other person, who represents the rest of the world, besides himself, he may thus be called a man of Ren. There yet is another explanation of the character Ren, which though not so plausible as the former one, is nevertheless worth remembering. It says that the character Ren and the characters meaning good conscience are synonymous.

    We have often heard of the combined characters of Ci Shan 慈善 (charitable), Ci Bei 慈悲 (merciful) and Ci Mu 慈母 (kind mother). Now, what does the character Ci really mean? Let us inquire into how the character is built up. It is composed of two other characters meaning life (茲) and heart (心). So, a man of Ci is a man whose heart inclines to save others' lives. We must always try to save others' lives and must not for a moment think of killing a living thing, not even an insect. Men who are devoid of Ci will deliberately kill an animal just to satisfy their appetite. Nay, they will even kill a human being if they think that the killing will give them wealth and power. Such persons are certain to be punished for their crimes. A man who has suffered a slight injury inflicted by you even meditates revenge on you. What more he will do to you if you kill him?

    Jue or Jue-Wu (覺悟) means to awake from and to comprehend. Therefore, a man may be said to be Jue-Wu if he awakes from the wrong he has committed and comprehends the truth which he has just discovered and which he has hitherto never known. However, a genuine Jue-Wu must be self-acting and real and not passive and obscure. The greatest Jue-Wu one can possibly have is the comprehension of the truth about life; for without life nothing else will really matter. What do we care who is right and who is wrong if we ourselves are no longer in this world? If we have a perfect understanding of such vital problems as "For what purpose were we born" and "What will we get after we have slaved ourselves to death," then, we may truly be said to have comprehended the truth about life which Buddha had comprehended more than two thousand years ago. Though we may be unable to attain as good a power of comprehension as Buddha, let us hope that we can get near to it.

    Jie means due limitation. Knots on bamboo trees are called Jie. This is because the knots set limits to the length of a particular part of the bamboo tree lying between the two knots. To the activities of men, due limits must also be set and the limits so set are also called Jie or rather Chi-Jie (氣節). For example, officials must see to it that they will only work under a good and clean government and for the benefit of the people. This is the limit that an official must set to his activities. If, however, officials should disregard this limit and work under any corrupt government, then they would be regarded as men without Chi-Jie. Again, in earning our living, we must see to it that we will do nothing that is degenerating. Men, who would sacrifice their reputation just for the sake of a living, would also be regarded as men without Chi-Jie. The characters Jie (節) and Chi (氣) are ever connected together. Men without Jie are also men without Chi which means life. What is the use of a man without life? Therefore, we must pay attention to Jie.

    Jian has something to do with the word "Contract", to contract or reduce the scope of the squandering of money and the waste of energy or time is to be frugal of money, energy or time. Frugality helps one to save up, and with a lot of savings, one can do great things. This is said with a view to the rules of economy. Morally speaking, frugality helps to promote honesty. This is because those who do not squander money recklessly do not have to seize money recklessly. Again, frugality helps to get rid of bad habits which include gambling and drinking. However, we must not let our frugality go to extremes, for then it will turn into parsimony.

    When we make our purchases or exchange our paper money for small coins, we always try to find out whether the goods or the coins are genuine. If genuine, we take them; if not, we reject them. Thus we see that we like only what is genuine and dislike what is false. So, it is better for those who sell goods to sell only genuine goods, and for those who use coins to use only genuine coins. If, however, men are found selling false goods or using counterfeit coins, they will be despised or even prosecuted. Now, a coin is only a trifling thing, yet if we try to use a counterfeit one, we will offend others. So much more, if we try to give others a piece of our heart which is not genuine. Therefore, we must see to it that our hearts are genuine. Only in a genuine heart can genuine truth be found.

    Li or propriety, like the law of a nation or the regulations of an organization, is a set of rules whereby social order is maintained. The only difference is that, while the laws of a nation can only restrain people from crimes and trespasses and persuade them to keep order outwardly, Li or propriety can restrain them from crimes and trespasses and persuade them to keep order inwardly. Therefore, in the matter of keeping social order, Li is more efficient than laws. For according to propriety, we must respect our elders and superiors, say nothing that is not upright and truthful, and keep the right place as to where we should be when sitting in the room or where we should be when walking in the street, none of which is provided by the law. If we neglect these things, we will be laughed and sneered at, and looked upon as savages. These are only the small things pertaining to propriety. The most important ones are the ethical rules governing the relations between parents and sons, and between parents and daughters, and between husbands and wives. If these are neglected, the world will be turned into a wilderness and men into wild beasts.

    Her means Her-Ping (和平) which again means to comport ourselves in a manner that is neither too vehement nor too weak and cowardly. There are people who are too headstrong and always go to extremes when doing things. They are bound to meet failures and reverses. And there are others who behave themselves too cowardly and weakly. They are bound to invite insults and maltreatment from others. The best way to conduct ourselves to be Her-Ping, a comportment that is neither too aggressive nor too inert. The ancients said: "A harmonious spirit brings many blessings in its train" and "A family, where there is plenty of harmony, will rise to prominence." Now, let us recollect the happy days we have spent every Spring when the weather is neither too warm nor too cold and when the wind is mild and soothing. We call this kind of wind Her and this kind of weather Wen-Her (溫和). It is these mild and soothing wind and temperate weather that make everything grow in profusion.